Our Current Challenges
Students of special education in the US are currently facing significant—and worsening—political, economic, and technological challenges.
What are the Gaps?
Many students, parents, and teachers encounter challenging gaps within the current education system. Guardian Airwaves LLC aims to address and reduce these gaps by providing targeted product solutions.
ADHD diagnoses are rapidly rising.*
25.1 million youths (12-17 ages) in the U.S. make up our Middle School and High School student body.**
7.1M youths have been diagnosed with ADHD. 5.5M of these diagnosed with ADHD had at least one co-occurring disorder such as learning disability, conduct disorder, anxiety, depression, and speech problems.***
Besides these personal struggles, students and their families are faced with the following:
- Achievement Gaps
- Teacher Shortages & Inequities
- Unequal Access to Higher Education
- Curriculum Gaps
- Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)
- Technology Gaps
- Special Education Needs
- Lack of Vocational Education Opportunities
- Language Barriers among migrant or international students
*CDC reported that in 2022, over 7 million (11.4%) U.S. children aged 3-17 years were diagnosed with ADHD, an increase of 1 million compared to 2016
**https://www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/tables/pop1.asp
***2022 National Survey of Children’s Health
ADHD may be a significant risk factor for developing smartphone addiction. Excessive smartphone use has been associated with numerous psychiatric disorders.****
****https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6408841/
Overall Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDDs)
Approximately 15-20% of the general population exhibits some form of neurodivergence. Among 3-17 year olds in the United States (2019-2020) the average is:
- ADHD: 8.5% (6.3 Million)
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): 2.9% (2 Million)
- Intellectual Disability: 1.4% (1 Million)
- Learning Disability: 6.4% (4.53 Million)
“About 1 in 9 kids in the U.S. have been told by a doctor at some point that they have ADHD (that’s around 7.1 million kids), and about 1 in 10 kids (6.5 million) still have ADHD now. Of those kids who currently have ADHD:
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More than half (58%) have moderate or severe symptoms.
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More than three-quarters (78%) also have another condition, like anxiety, learning problems, or depression.
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About half (54%) take ADHD medicine.
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Almost half (44%) got behavioral therapy in the last year.
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Nearly one-third (30%) didn’t get any ADHD-specific treatment.”*****
About 67% of kids with ADHD have emotional and mental health conditions along with their ADHD.
*****https://www.cdc.gov/adhd/data/index.html
Majority of U.S. States are in Need
The majority of US states in yellow are in great need for support for their kids but yet there is a huge shortage of special ed teachers due to burnout, heavy workloads and now non-existent budgets. Many special education teachers report:
- Feeling isolated and unsupported
- Heavy Workload
- Low Pay
- Burnout
- Need for Professional Development
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a need for 37,600 new special education teachers from 2020 to 2030 to meet growing demand.* Hiring of teachers is not increasing.
Sources:
Edweek.org/teaching-learning/why-special-education-teachers-quit-and-what-schools-are-doing-about-it/2024/
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook 2022-23 – Special Education Teachers
A. Mockovciak, G. McKeithan, X. Johnson, D. Grisworld and M.O’Rivera. Special Education Teacher Attrition. Glob J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2023; 11(3): 555811. DOI:10.19080/GJIDD.2A23.11.555811
ies.ed.gov/learn/blog/special-educator-shortage-examining-teacher-burnout-and-mental-health
Why Should Parents & Teachers Care?
Educational Outcomes
- They are far less likely to enroll in a 4-year college.
- They are 11X more likely to not enroll in any school vs. enrolling in a 4-year college.
- 50% attend vocational or junior colleges vs. 18% of the non-ADHD comparison group.
- 15% hold a 4-year degree compared to 48% of the control group.
- 0.06% held a graduate degree compared to 5.4% of the control group.
Biederman, Joseph at al. (July 2012). Adult outcome of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a controlled 16-year follow-up study. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 73(7):941-50.
Biederman, Joseph et al. (May 2010). How persistent is ADHD? A controlled 10-year follow-up study of boys with ADHD. Psychiatry Research 177(3):299–304.
Why Should Our Nation’s Workforce Care?
Occupational Outcomes for young adults with ADHD between the ages of 23 and 32:
- They are 11x more likely to be unemployed and not in school.
- They are 4x more likely to be in unskilled vs. clerical occupation, and 6x more likely to be in unskilled vs. professional occupations.
- 61% more likely to have been fired, compared to 43% of the comparison group.
- 33% more likely to have been laid off, compared to 13% of the comparison group.
Kuriyan, A.B., Pelham, W.E., Molina, B.S.G. et al. Young Adult Educational and Vocational Outcomes of Children Diagnosed with ADHD. J Abnorm Child Psychol 41, 27–41 (2013)
William J. et al. (2013). Mortality, ADHD, and psychosocial adversity in adults with childhood ADHD: a prospective study. Pediatrics 131(4):637-644.
Our Solutions
Our solutions are rooted in the Education Technology (EdTech) sector, where we integrate adaptive learning systems with each learner’s distinct method of active knowledge consumption and retention. Using conversational interfaces, computer vision, and state-of-the-art hardware, we help learners engage meaningfully, retain critical information, and apply what they’ve learned when it counts.
Through sustained focus on these foundations and a commitment to innovation aligned with evolving market demands — Guardian Airwaves aims to drive substantial, measurable impact across both special education and public safety. The result is an intelligent, student centered experience with an agentic IA* system operating invisibly in the background.
This is not a typo for AI. IA stands for Intelligent Augmentation.
An Intelligent Student Centered Experience with an Agentic IA** system operating invisibly in the background.
**Intelligent Augmentation.
An Intelligent Student Centered Experience with an Agentic IA** system operating invisibly in the background.
**Intelligent Augmentation.
What Is Intelligent Augmentation? Intelligent Augmentation (IA) combines human judgment with computer intelligence to help people learn and perform better — together. Instead of computers replacing teachers, mentors, or trainers, IA keeps humans actively involved in every decision about how technology gets used. That principle mattered even more after COVID 19, when it became clear just how much learners depend on the people around them — not just for instruction, but for emotional and social support. -Judi Fusco, Pati Ruiz, and Jeremy Roschelle, March 2021 ACM
Guardian Airwaves didn’t just adopt this idea. We built our entire company around it, on two very different frontlines. In public safety training, IA means a system that reads stress and performance signals in real time and delivers guidance in the field or simulation while the responder, not the algorithm, makes the call. In the classroom, IA means a system that reads attention and engagement signals in real time and gives teachers a clear, actionable nudge while the teacher, not the algorithm, decides what happens next.
How Guardian Airwaves Uses This Idea
Guardian Airwaves builds every feature around IA, keeping teachers’ expertise and students’ own voices at the center of every design decision. Our systems save educators and trainers time on repetitive work — scheduling, monitoring, grading, tracking so they can spend their energy where it matters most: teaching, coaching, and being present for the breakthrough moments. When a student starts to lose focus, or a trainee’s performance signals fatigue or stress, the platform notices and suggests a specific, human reviewed way to re-engage.
Why Human Judgment Still Matters
AI can be powerful, but at Guardian Airwaves, people always have the final say — over what technology gets adopted, and over how its effectiveness is judged. IA was never about letting computers make the calls. It’s about putting human judgment at the center of every classroom, every training simulation, and every moment that matters.
Same method. Same conviction.
Technology should sharpen human judgment, never replace it.
Bridging the gaps
for Middle School & High School Students
Adaptive Learning for ADHD, NDDs, Autistic Students
Our intelligent system weaves students, teachers, and parents into the fabric of the educational experience, making seamless collaboration and true support possible at every stage. Each individual’s learning journey becomes both deeply personal and brilliantly interconnected.
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MIRST
Mixed Interactive Reality Simulation Training for Firefighters & First Responders
MIRST - Mixed Interactive Reality Simulation Training for Firefighters & First Responders
Virtual Reality technology was the natural progression in impactful simulation training. Developed with a retired CalFire Division Chief and Emergency Medical Response Instructor, these modules were tested by 37 firefighters and proved to be the most cost-effective and accessible way to train for dynamic unpredictable threats of climate change.
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